Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.06 EPS

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.06, Zacks reports. Baxter International had a net margin of 0.77% and a return on equity of 18.30%. Baxter International updated its FY 2025 guidance to 2.450-2.550 EPS and its Q1 2025 guidance to 0.470-0.500 EPS.

Baxter International Price Performance

Shares of BAX stock opened at $33.44 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $17.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 167.18, a P/E/G ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.61. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $30.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.14. Baxter International has a one year low of $28.33 and a one year high of $44.01.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 340.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Baxter International in a research report on Thursday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $39.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $39.40.

About Baxter International

Baxter International Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops and provides a portfolio of healthcare products worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Medical Products and Therapies, Healthcare Systems and Technologies, Pharmaceuticals, and Kidney Care. The company offers sterile intravenous (IV) solutions; infusion systems and devices; parenteral nutrition therapies; generic injectable pharmaceuticals; surgical hemostat and sealant products, advanced surgical equipment; smart bed systems; patient monitoring and diagnostic technologies; and respiratory health devices, as well as advanced equipment for the surgical space, including surgical video technologies, precision positioning devices, and other accessories.